Samples of organic matter taken from animals are frequently taken for analysis for a large variety of purposes. For example, in the case of tracking parentage of purebred animals, it has been customary to draw blood samples from the animal. The sampled blood is stored in vials which are then transmitted to a laboratory for analysis, typically a DNA analysis.
While the procedure works well for its intended purposes, vials are fragile and therefore, care must be taken in transporting them from the site of sampling to the site of analysis. Furthermore, animal fluids such as blood may degrade if not kept under the proper conditions with the consequence that there is a possibility that any subsequent analysis performed on a degraded sample may not be entirely accurate.
It is also desirable to "archive" samples. That is to say duplicate samples are taken with one being analyzed and the other one stored in the archives of the examining organization for subsequent analysis, if it becomes necessary for any reason. Again, providing archives to hold vials of animal fluids and preserve them in sufficiently good condition that they can be reliably analyzed at some undetermined point in the future is a difficult thing to do.
One organic substance, virtually universally found on all mammals, is hair; and DNA sampling of hair can reliably identify a given animal and provide considerable additional information that may be of relevance to animal breeders or the like. However, using hair as the sample to be analyzed requires an entirely different means of sampling; and the present invention is directed to providing such a means in the form of a sampling kit that is inexpensive, of minimal bulk, that is not fragile, and which may be easily and reliably used.